Courtney Balcombe

Creative Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

Penn State University has awarded many students in financial need funding through the American Relief Plan, ARP, which originally provided nearly $40 billion for colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, HEERF.

For the 2022 spring semester, PSU will award $17.35 million in their COVID-19 emergency relief grants to help students. However, this semester will also mark the final round of relief grants out of the $76.2 million that was allocated to Penn State for emergency student financial aid from HEERF as authorized by the ARP Act of 2021. 

According to Penn State News, as of December 31, 2021, Penn State has distributed ARP grants totaling more than $58.85 million to 36,126 students during the summer and fall 2021 semesters.

The first round of grants will be prioritized to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need by offering grants worth up to $850 each to all 18,247 students University-wide who are eligible for the federal Pell Grant, as determined by data from the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA.

The remaining ARP funds, PSU anticipates the amount to be up to $2 million, will be distributed to support students with exceptional financial need who did not file or were not eligible to file a FAFSA, or who did not otherwise qualify for a grant in the initial round. These funds will also be worth up to $850.

Students who are awarded a first-round grant must act to accept it by Monday, March 14, as after that date all unclaimed funds will be awarded to other students during the second-round application process.